Fellowships

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) S&T Fellowship

USAID has been a long-time host of the AAAS Science & Technology (S&T) Policy Fellowship, which offers Ph.D. scientists and engineers an opportunity to work in Congress and in federal agencies on policy issues. Fellows are placed in Washington, D.C. for one year with the option to extend for a second. At USAID, Fellows bring a thirst for understanding the challenges facing development and apply their expertise to reach across boundaries to develop solutions.

Additionally, in 2011, the Agency re-established the Overseas AAAS Fellowship program, which offers former AAAS fellows a chance to work an additional two years in a USAID Mission. This opportunity allows Fellows to bring their scientific and technical expertise, as well as their experience from Washington, D.C., to work in the field.

Examples of contributions made by former AAAS Fellows include:

Assisted with the provision of power to Baghdad;

Brought clean water to Aceh province after the Tsunami;

Provided 20,000 Iraqis with access to scientific publications, which is now being extended to Africa;

Helped create a partnership between National Science Foundation (NSF) and USAID that will empower collaborations around the world, and

Jefferson Science Fellowship

In partnership with the U.S. State Department, USAID also hosts the Jefferson Science Fellowship, which places tenured faculty from U.S. institutions of higher learning who serve as advisors to the State Department and USAID for one year in Washington, D.C. Following a year in Washington, D.C., Fellows continue to advise remotely for a subsequent five years.

Examples of opportunities held by former Jefferson Science Fellows include:

Initiated a pilot project under the umbrella of a new working relationship between NSF & USAID to help bring together strong scientific research and community involvement and empowerment;

Provided critical guidance to the USAID Administrator in the days immediately following the earthquake in Haiti on seismological trends, and

Assisted in advancing a trilateral agreement between the U.S., Brazil, and Mozambique.

Embassy Science Fellowship

Since 2001, the Embassy Science Fellows Program (ESFP), run jointly by the U.S. State Department and USAID, has enabled scientists and engineers from U.S. Government technical agencies to provide expertise at Embassies and Missions for terms of two to three months.

ESFP facilitates and promotes bi-lateral cooperation in the fields of science and technology. During the past 10 years, more than 200 scientists from 12 Departments and Agencies have lent their expertise to projects in Embassies and Missions around the world.

American Society for Mechanical Engineers USAID Fellowship

In 2011, USAID partnered with the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) to establish a USAID-specific Fellowship, as a component of ASME’s Federal Fellowship program. This fellowship brings the technical expertise and networks of ASME to help address challenges faced in development.